Pennant Coralfish Identification Guide

Key identification features

• Disc-shaped white body crossed by two broad black bands, one running through the eye and one from the front of the dorsal fin down to the belly
• Long, trailing white filament extending from the fourth dorsal spine
• Yellow coloration on the rear body and tail
• Small, slightly protruding snout for picking food from crevices
• Grows to about 18-20 cm

Common look-alikes

• Moorish idol (Zanclus cornutus): has a bright yellow band between its two black bands and a longer, thread-like dorsal streamer, plus a small bony bump above the eye in adults.
• Schooling bannerfish (Heniochus diphreutes): nearly identical banding, but its pelvic fins are pale rather than solid black and it is far more often seen in large midwater schools.

Where you'll see one

Found on coral reefs throughout the Indo-Pacific, from shallow lagoons as juveniles to deeper outer reef slopes and drop-offs as adults, usually alone, in pairs, or in loose small groups. It often hovers well above the substrate, angling its body to feed on drifting zooplankton, and readily tolerates the presence of divers.